No one is born a travel blogger, but luckily, anyone is capable of learning the skills required to be a successful one. We started from scratch ourselves, making all the mistakes a beginner can commit. But here we are now, trying to lay out the path for you so that you do not have to stumble in the dark as much as we did.

The information below is not just abstract tips and steps on how to put up a travel blog - frankly, you can find a bunch of that online easily. What we share here our personal experiences, from building the foundation of our own travel blog to its challenging evolution, up to the very things we do today to keep it running.

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Make no mistake: travel blogging is hard work. You may think it is a glamorous job but underneath the new destinations and beautiful photos, there are long days and even longer nights of pure, unadulterated work. Of course, the fact that it is difficult only makes saying you are a full-time travel blogger all the more awesome.

Are you ready to find out how to get things done? Keep reading and be sure to take quick action so you change your life for the better fast.

10-Point Guide on How to Start a Travel Blog and Earn Money in Six Months

Two Monkeys Travel went live in May 2014 as a potential way to fund our travel lifestyle. Before this, we relied on volunteers to keep going. Maybe you are on the same boat. But it is important to note that there are many travel bloggers jet setting all across the globe for free. More important, it is crucial that you realize this is not just about getting free stuff. Being a travel blogger is a respectable career, and as mentioned, it is quite a demanding job!

After six months of a love-hate relationship with our blog, we have been able to grow our social media following to the next level with great interaction from the right audience. We are relatively new, yet we currently have 90K to 150K page views every month and are finally earning money by monetizing our blog with affiliate marketing.

QUICK TIP 1: Sign up for Affiliate Window, Webfluential, and Share A Sale to earn commissions when you sell their products on your blog.

QUICK TIP 2: Accommodation companies like Booking.com and Hostelbookers are great partners.

Now let us go to the nitty-gritty of starting your own travel blog. The steps are below.

Step 1: Think of a blog name.

What do you like? If you really love your name, then you can name your Travel Blog after you then add some exciting Travel related words – traveling, nomadic, wandering, adventurous, etc. However, this is quite overused so you may want to be more creative.

Think of something that can easily be remembered. Ours have animals - not formal but catchy! Whatever you choose, have a travel-related word on the title so people easily recognize it as a travel blog.

Step 2: Buy that domain name and invest in hosting.

We started with free hosting from Blogger because initially we were not very serious about our travel blog and did not have elaborate plans for it. This is MISTAKE #1 for us. MISTAKE #2 is our first article with a click-bait title that got 5,000 views in one week. But this initial success inspired us to buy our domain from GoDaddy but still use the Blogger platform, which is MISTAKE #3. TIP: Get better hosting if you are serious about your travel blog.

TIP 1: Self-hosted travel blogs are better. We use WordPress.com.

TIP 2: Use *YOUR CHOSEN HOSTING* to design, install, and direct your old blog to your new blog. This is possible via WordPress.org.

TIP 3: Other providers like Hostgator gives you a free domain with your hosting.

TIP 4: Performance Foundry is another private hosting company that is highly recommended. Check out their New Blog Start-up Package for awesome help in putting up your very first travel blog.

The point of all this is to look PROFESSIONAL not only for your readers but more important, for your advertisers that generate your income.

Step 3: Design your logo and invest in web design.

Visuals are important. People judge you instantly by the look of your travel blog before they even read one word of your content. Create a logo to represent your brand and its personality. Invest in your logo design. We normally pay $2,000 for every re-design but it is worth it.

Step 4: Write for yourself (and later on write for others).

As a beginner, it is simpler to kick things off by simply writing for yourself. What are you keen to share? What are the best things about the places you have visited? What food should the people try? What are your experiences that will inspire others? Just write what comes to you.

This takes a lot of pressure off and ensures your travel blog gets lift-off. Inadvertently, doing this reveals your niche - your specific place in the vast travel blog universe. For example, our goal at the start is to write about our life as a traveling couple - not to impress others but just to express ourselves and to show that an alternative way of life is possible.

No kidding, it was not easy to churn out content in the beginning. Don't even start with photos! MISTAKE #4 is we never bothered renaming photos before publishing them - definitely no good with optimization! Now we have Photoshop on our computers and use PicMonkey.com for simple photo editing jobs.

IMPORTANT: Do not get overwhelmed by technical jobs. All of these can be learned as you go on publishing more content on your travel blog. We will discuss more on technicalities later. What matters is you put your efforts into writing interesting, fun, and helpful content.

Step 5: Capitalize on social media.

Create an account on all popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Triberr, Stumbleupon, Snapchat, and Periscope and court engagement. Each platform is discussed in a separate lecture in this module.

NOTE: Social media is not just about Facebook. You also need to use Youtube, Tumbler, Trover, Reddit, Bloglovin and so on to promote your travel blog and interact with your target audience.

Step 6: Network.

Travel bloggers are some of the nicest and most open-minded people that you will ever meet so do not hesitate to reach out. Even the most established travel bloggers are quick to respond and are keen to collaborate. The first step is to ask!

TIP 1: Do not be afraid to pitch your articles to higher ranking websites or magazines. If you have great material, no one will turn its back on it.

TIP 2: Travel bloggers have Facebook groups, too.

Step 7: Understand your audience and write for them.

Writing for page views won't get you far. The best kind of content is the one that your readers can use and benefit from. Put their needs first and they will reward you with so much!

How to know your audience

Go to your Facebook report and check who most of your followers are. You should also install Google Analytics so you know from which countries your readers are from. Use these numbers to craft your articles that suit the interests of your readers.

For example, if your readers are mostly Filipino, write relevant content for Filipino travelers. Topics include visa guides for Filipinos, the best travel destinations within The Philippines or near The Philippines, or countries to visit where Philippine Peso gets a good exchange rate.

How to track your page views

On your WordPress.org site, you have the Jetpack application where you can track how many pages views you have and you will see which of your posts have gained the most interest from people – then WRITE MORE on topics related to that

TIP 1: Write a FAQ Page to make it easier for your readers to know you or to have a ready resource for essentials.

TIP 2: Interact with them and show them how much you value their support.

TIP 3: Continue to produce quality content with a genuine aim of helping people.

Step 8: Learn from your mistakes.

Even the best travel bloggers who have been around for years have to room to grow. As a beginner, be ultra generous with yourself and have patience for every mistake you make. It is okay as long as you learn from them.

It will take time to get used to this but the key is to keep at it until the right things you do overtake the wrong ones dramatically. Adjust and re-adjust. You do not have to be perfect all the time

Step 9: Interact with your readers.

Sincerity takes you far in life - not just in your travel blog. Care about your audience and demonstrate it. For us, we interact with them all the time through our Facebook group *It is great to know these awesome people!

Never let anything go to your head. If you are just thinking about yourself and obsessed about becoming popular, then good luck, you won’t go anywhere as your audience will feel that attitude.

IMPORTANT: Make your travel blog about helping other travelers!

Step 10: Let your passion inspire others.

It is hard to remain inspired when you are constantly on the road, working, and trying to manage a travel blog on the side. The demand can be draining and sometimes, even depressing. But never lose hope! Always remember the people who depend on you.

TIP 1: Fight burn-out. Balance your life. Everything should be fun, remember?

TIP 2: Get help when you can. You do not have to do everything for your travel blog. We started this way before we rebranded but it was an unhealthy lifestyle that needed changing. Do not forget your vision: you have the travel blog so you can travel - not to sit all day stressing in front of your computer. Here is the story of how and why we switched to a group website from a personal one.

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